Book excerpt: Exploring World History through Geography: From the Cradle of Civilization to a Globalized World takes readers on a fascinating and unique journey through time from many of the earliest world civilizations right into the 21st century. From the early civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia to our present-day globalized society, readers will learn how humans interacted-and still interact-with the environment around them, as well as the environment's role in not only shaping the society's world view but enabling the building of socially stratified and successful civilizations. Not your run-of-the-mill world history tome, this book examines world history through the closely related discipline of geography. The civilizations and events represented in the book, while not exhaustive, were selected to highlight geographic themes and areas of study. Upon completing the book, readers should have a firm understanding of the expansive, cross-curricular study of geography-from the study of world cultures and history to politics to the environment and Earth's physical processes. In addition, they will have a new understanding of the relevance of geography to not only human history but contemporary events, as well as their day-to-day lives. By presenting this history from a slightly different, geographic point of view, Exploring World History through Geography will inspire fresh curiosity in the world, both past and present.